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DanD's explanation is correct. I have copied a letter sent to me from Lexus UK in a reply to an earlier posting. I have attached it herewith with a French translation in case you would like to carry it in your car in case you are stopped. As to the AFS the advice is that it should be switched off as it is slightly asymmetric and the lights swing rather more to the left than the right in UK cars. In practice I have not found this a problem in France and now I leave it on as no one has flashed me for a couple of years now and it does give better light on the road on corners. I don't know if your 450 has full HID headlights. My RX 350 has HID for the dipped beam but conventional bulbs in the main which were not all that good. I replaced the main beam with an HID conversion last year and the difference is amazing. Ditto for the reversing lights which have been the subject of an extensive series of posts. I fitted high intensity LED bulbs to mine last year and removed the reflecting shield which directs the light upwards and they are also much better now. Lexus advice re headlights in France - anonymised for distribution (French & English).26-7-2014.doc

If you search the forum, you will find several threads on this, some with definitive and clear answers (at least clearer than my explanation below!). In fact one also contains an extract from a letter from Lexus UK HQ in response to a forum member query. No headlight adjustment is required when travelling to mainland Europe. No adjustment to the headlights themselves, and no need for stickers to redirect the beam either. This is because the beam is flat across its range, whereas in some cars, the beam kicks up on the passenger side (I'm sure I am not using the correct terminology, but hopefully, you will understand what I mean!!!) The only thing you might consider doing, is turning the AFS off, although based on the above this is more for your convenience than out of courtesy towards oncoming traffic, as I do not thinl they would be affected. By the way, I believe the above to apply also to the CT, IS300h/250/200t, GS300h/450h and NX models.

I used these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-X-CANBUS-ERROR-FREE-CREE-T15-W16W-921-LED-SIDELIGHT-REVERSE-LIGHT-/331683944280?hash=item4d39e75758:g:BDAAAOSw0vBUic19 after trying a few others which weren't very good. I note that there are now 11W and 18W versions on ebay although they all claim 8000 lumens which is odd. No problem with MOT since I removed the shields. Its passed twice since I did it. Last time with the new LEDs as well.

So all good now. Happy days. Reading about others cars is fascinating, and always food for thought ...

Now we know why the people on Grand Designs go over budget if that is how much it costs to polish a floor. Hope you sort something out to keep the toes warm

Back in the day I have used Redex etc... too. I also used some Stop Oil Stop Leak stuff on my Fiat Sedici ( great little AWD ), which DID stop an oil drip. Now I just use Shell Nitro + petrol... works or not, I don't know. But with a loyalty card I do get money back vouchers on it ...

I could I imagine Stu, but not a very attractive solution. It's only happened once on full lock. I'll just try not to use full lock for now mate. :) If that's not possible, will see about shaving/retrimming the plastic liners. It's not catching badly, just a little bit. :)

What do you think???

This is my take on this; if you have drained the cooling system, that's when you start to refill using the hex plug. When the coolant is visible in the plastic coolant reservoir but low, then top it up there not through the hex plug. I have undone the hex plug in the past and although it's on a bit tight, I found it will undo o.k.with an Allen key and an extention, no problem.

You only need to top up through the reservoir tank.

Not sure if you can with an iPhone, but on my HTC M9 and most Android phones, you can adjust the Bluetooth volume on the phone, plus you can adjust the transmission volume on the car -5 to +5, as well as the receive (speaker) volume using the volume knob. If you go into the service menu, you can do a microphone check. Ignition on, press and hold the menu button and turn the lights on and off 3 times. Turn car off to go back. This is for premium Nav, might be different for other versions. Make sure you have the latest software versions too, my microphone performance has improved from version v0301d to current v12102c.

They can be tight, an overnight spray of WD40 and a good wrench me thinks.

Stuart, when you drain the fluid from the gearbox on these cars only just over 2 litres comes out. That means that a lot of old ATF remains inside. You can do a full flush by detatching a hose and pouring in fresh fluid and at the same time pump it through by cranking the engine, but you have to be careful using this method! Poeple have put through (not IN) up to 12 litres this way so that they have guaranteed fresh red ATF throughout the whole gearbox. I usually just drain mine a few times now and then to keep the fluid fresh. I also only use fluid to 3309 spec i.e. Toyota type IV (supercedes type II) or Mobil 3309 or Comma 3309. My autobox is always as smooth as butter.

In the end I decided to replace it. I figured if it's in a year or two, I might as well get the benefit now... I took it to JAPEX in Kings Langley ( who get good write ups on this forum ) who were excellent! They reckoned it had never been changed. So although it was 'sort of ok', it was ripe for a change. Driving home I COULD tell the difference. [ Got my air filter changed as well ] I think sometimes the Lexus service scheduled are a little vague. I wish they said, change this at this time, not ... if necessary.

Exactly, the exhaust will never corrode so why are the break pipes not gold plated :)

Congrats Steve. A failure of the joyful kind :) Though the finest of cars ought to be fitted with non-corroding pipe don't you think?

What's the point of anything? This is just about having some fun in a big V8. No animals were harmed during filming :)

I'll add one more to help your record ! I live in dry stone wall county (Yorkshire) and have only 14" either side along the road to my driveway. If you meet another vehicle then, dependant on how far you are down the lane, one has to reverse. For all the 6 years with my RX400h SE-L reversing at night, in pitch black, has been a nightmare. There only needs to be one stone sticking out and there goes another £150 for bumper repair, and I've had two done. Before anyone chips in with some wisecrack as an advanced driver for 49 years & holder of police class 1 I think I know how to reverse but in this car it is an experience in the dark you never hope is you have to do. Your initial point about the revering lights being crap is totally correct and quite honestly I think some people on this forum have never had to reverse in those situations. I removed my deflectors within a couple of weeks of buying the car, made some difference but not enough to save my rear bumper !

I have tried all of these modifications. I have fitted LEDs and removed the light deflector. That alone was a vast improvement, but the light is not directed to the ground. As for the camera, I am told there is no Lexus night vision unit that will replace the existing reversing camera. I also understand that a suitable after market unit has not yet been found (the guy who fitted my after market parking sensors is still looking). So far, the best I can get in terms of reversing light is: fit LEDs, remove deflector, switch on rear fog lights and touch the brake a lot to switch on the brake lights. There is no street lighting where I live and this works well for me. Although reversing at night is a nuisance, it is the only niggle with an otherwise great car.

I'm considering changing one of the reverse bulbs to High Powered Infrared LED's - invisible to the human eye, but would give the reverse camera "night vision".... Anyone tried this?

About to install the LED reversing bulbs. Just wondering whether the LED bulbs on their own will provide much more light than the original bulbs, or whether I need to remove the reflectors as well to make a significant difference. Could there be any potential issues with the MOT if the reflectors are removed?

Not sure if you ever your money back on these things. It's bit like putting Calgon for years in your washing machine. A Bosh engineer once told me that the cost of replacing your clogged up heating element is far lower that the monies you will have spent on Calgon over the years! Still, my wife won't hear of it and still buy Calgon, Must have shares in it that I don't know about. With regards to products being "endorsed" by major manufacturers, I do not think you should read that they actually acknowledge these products do a lot of good... it's more like they don't do any harm!

No, it's snake oil. You'll get better results maintaining tyre pressures and keeping your air filter clean.

That was a dedicated machine where they disconnected the fuel supply and return lines and plumbed straight into the engine. I can see that working just fine. But adding liquid to the fuel tank will do bugger all.

Another update. Managed to get the following work completed by a local village garage: Gearbox/front diff oil change Transfer case oil change Rear diff oil change Oil change and filter (filter supplied by me) Car picked up and dropped off All for £169. Not bad at all. Managed to sort the other front wiper, so now a matching aero pair. Much better. I took off the back box chrome tip and had a go with the drill and a buffing tool/metal polish. Looks a lot better and will do for now. She's driving well and an iPhone app seems to agree with the quoted 0-60 time, so happy with that. Finally, personalised plate has gone on. This had to be ordered as an oversized plate as it had an oversized one fitted in the past that had worn into the paint at the corners and looked unsightly.

Update time once again. Cambelt, water pump and tensioner replaced. Water pump was leaking *see rust on gasket). Belt looks good condition as was to be expected (or so I've read). Also, suspension fixed! Wire to the compressor was indeed the culprit. Happy days.

The garage told me the power steering fluid had been leaking, so they have also steam cleaned the underside. I had been discussing with the wife, prior to the relief, that if it was a huge bill then we may have to look at something else. I hope.... that having spent £900 on a new shocker 8 weeks ago we can enjoy some trouble free motoring for several months... Thankfully we ve been able to not use it until fixed, because if theres no fluid in and we'd have been driving. At some point it may have gone bang and been much more expensive as you point out. Our car is a 53 having done 58k. We also really like the car, just the low mpg is a pain, as the wife does only very short journeys. About 220 from a tank.... Its ended up costing £183 to fix, inc part, labour & fluid. Seems fine and now no noise. Prior to the fix I did ring lexus to sound them out on the price of a pump. They said in their experience its the hoses and not the pump, so didnt give me a price, but the £3 k mark is huge...